


Heaven Bound Again

by Miss_Amby



Series: There's Not a Word Yet for Old Friends Who've Just Met [1]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: M/M, No beta we fall like Crowley, Post-Fall (Good Omens), Pre-Fall (Good Omens), Scene: Garden of Eden (Good Omens), Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-01-21 11:28:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 8,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21298706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Amby/pseuds/Miss_Amby
Summary: To say that Crowley was confused would be an understatement.  One minute he was curled around his angel and the next he was back in Heaven, before everything went to well, Hell.Aziraphale was equally confused as to what was going on as well.(Will hopefully be updating on Sundays)
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: There's Not a Word Yet for Old Friends Who've Just Met [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1535399
Comments: 39
Kudos: 198





	1. In Which Crowley is Confused

His head was killing him. A splitting headache all around from all angles, as if it were the worst hangover of all times. Funny thing was that Crowley didn’t remember getting drunk the night before. It had been a quiet winter evening. Aziraphale had made cocoa and curled up with a book on one end of the couch while he sat at the other end playing on his phone. They had both retired to bed and he fell asleep and then…

Well his head was still killing him and he knew from past experience that opening his eyes was going to be a pain. Lots and lots of pain. Breathing though, breathing was nice and not something that was causing him pain. Wherever he was it smelled calm and soothing. After a few minutes he figured out he was surrounded by plants. Not his plants, he knew the scent of terror they gave off. No, these plants hadn’t been yelled at before, they were calm and happy just to exist. 

Finally he opened his eyes, hissing under his breath as he sat up and ran a hand through his hair. 

His hair was long. It hadn’t been long when he went to bed. It was back to the length it was in the early days; the garden, the ark, the cross. He leaned forward and saw it tumble around his face but then he realized the color was off. It was too light, like it had been streaked with the sun for hours and hours. He was a creature of darkness and the night; he did his best tempting then. It didn’t make sense for it to suddenly be so light. Crowley looked down and saw his outfit wasn’t the old Queen shirt and black sleep pants he knew he went to bed in but was instead an ivory colored tunic that he hadn’t worn in centuries. In fact the last time he had seen it was…

Finally he looked around. It was a lush paradise, trees and all sorts of plant live everywhere. Everything was green and healthy and almost seemed to have a glow to it. It was like he had been placed in the most beautiful place on Earth. Except it wasn’t Earth. He recognized the place, the dense overgrowth something he had worked on a long time ago. 

Well that lead to all the air leaving his lungs and his heart rate shooting up. He couldn’t seem to stop shaking and he couldn’t tell what temperature it was. This seemed to last forever, even though some part of his brain knew that it wasn’t, that it was only for a few minutes. Gradually his breathing evened back out and his heart stopped feeling like it was going to burst out of his chest.

“Ok...ok reflective surface, reflective surface…” he was mumbling to himself, eyes darting around looking for anything that he maybe could see his face in. His gaze saw a pool in the distance, not too far away and he made his way over, looking around to see if anyone was around. It was quiet and something in him seemed to remember that no-one would be around for awhile. When he finally got to the pool he took a deep breath before leaning close over the water.

He was right about his hair but his face paled at the other things his reflection showed. His wings were still black, but they had a sheen to them he hadn’t had for awhile. Also, instead of serpent-gold eyes that he had seen every day for over six thousand years honey-brown humans ones looked back. He poked at himself and ruffled his wings, watching the reflection do the same before he collapsed on the ground, covering his face with his hands.

“Shit.”


	2. In Which Crowley Continues to Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowley panics some more. That's it.

“This can’t be happening, this can’t be real.” Crowley was mumbling to himself as he started pacing in front of the water, wings held in close to his body and his hands over his mouth. “This can’t be right.”

“What can’t be right Anthony?”

Crowley squealed and whirled around at the new voice. Or really, an old voice he hadn’t heard in quite some time. The angel in front of him tilted his head and just looked at Crowley as if he had grown an extra limb. 

“Are you ok? I didn’t mean to frighten you, is anything wrong?” They went to reach out and place a hand on him but Crowley flinched away as if the touch would burn. After doing that though Crowley straightened up and flashed a smile at the other angel.

“I’m fine, sorry to scare you. Just hit my head and it rattled me a bit. Nothing’s wrong, everything is tippy-top.” He smiled, not one that was real but it was enough for the other angel. He shrugged his shoulders and wandered away. This left Crowley to continue his existential crisis.

He was in Heaven. He was back in Heaven, before his Falling and he had no idea how he had gotten there. The other angel, (Biel maybe) hadn’t flinched from him, comment on his eyes or his odd word choice. Curses for hanging out with his angel, it was rubbing off on him.

No, the bigger question was why was he there? He had Fallen. He remembered the pain of burning, of his wings catching fire before being thrown into his snake form. He remembered the hurt of being pushed out, of Her love leaving him and harding his heart. This wasn’t a place he should be again. 

Crowley didn’t remember everything about his time before his Fall. What he could remember were snippets of a calm life. Creating stars before being put on plant duty, chatting with a few other angels.

Becoming friends with Lucifer Morningstar and his followers.

He sighed and wiped his hands over his face before walking away from the pool. He wasn’t sure what was going on but he knew he needed to put on an act at least. There were many things that Anthony J. Crowley was good at and acting to get his way was one of them. Stretching the truth was something he excelled at and for right now he hoped it would play in his favor until he could figure out what was going on.

That might mean leaving the garden, exploring past what his fractured memories could give him. 

Well, it wasn’t the first time he had done that. Last time though he hadn’t been alone, he had Aziraphale by his side.

Aziraphale! In all of his panic he had forgotten his partner in everything. Gritting his teeth he realized how hard it would be to find him. They didn’t talk about their lives before the Falling much but Crowley knew that his angel had been a Cherub before giving away his sword, leading to his demotion to Principality. All that Aziraphale knew about Crowley was that his eyes used to be more normal looking.

It was going to take time to find him and even then he maybe wouldn’t even be his angel. Just the shell of what he could become. That filled Crowley with even more despair. He was used to having Aziraphale to fall back to. Even if they hadn’t seen each other in decades he knew he could rely on his angel. Now though, well would it be his oldest companion or would he have to rebuild everything?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So while I love the headcannon of Crowley having been Raphael I literally had half of this written right before that headcannon went out and I refused to re-write. I decided to have him be a star maker (like stated in the show) but I love the idea of him being a gardener as well, at least after the star making was done.


	3. In Which Gardening is Boring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowley plots and plans.

Gardening is not as much fun when you can’t yell at the vegetation. He missed his plants, scattered all over the bookstore in Soho. They trembled in fear at his presence and knew their place. Here though you couldn’t yell at them because someone would overhear you. You couldn’t say nasty but true things to them because there weren’t harsh words in heaven*. You couldn’t pick them up and move them around because they were all growing in the ground. Overall this left Crowley being a very unhappy demon? Angel? Returned Angel? Go-, Sat-, Someone, he wasn’t even sure what he was at the moment. Just another cog in the machine under the almighty.

(*Not yet. In later centuries other angels would say that Gabriel was quite good at dealing out harsh language to others)

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Time was meaningless here, all they needed to do was their job before God started making the Earth. 

How much time did he have? Before Morningstar rebelled, before Falling, before being forced into a snake form?

Before finding his angel on the Eastern Wall?

Crowley had never really liked Heaven but it had been his home for the beginning of his existence. On the whole, it was nice to come and visit*, but he didn’t want to stay. He wanted to go back to being himself, serpent eyes and almost too tight pants with an angel beside him in his Bentley**.

(*This time was better than the last time, there was no Gabriel threatening him.)

(**Or bookshop couch, or bed or any other places other than Heaven.)

For fucks sakes watching plants grow was boring when you couldn't put the fear of Crowley in them!

And the other angels! On one hand, it was nice to not be smited when seeing someone who wasn’t Aziraphale. On the other hand his tolerance for angels was limited to just one and that was Aziraphale*. They kept trying to talk to him, get him to go to choir practice or see how the cosmos was forming. Crowley would hem and haw and mix his words just right to get them to leave him alone. He was spending a lot of time sitting on one certain rock that got just the right amount of sun to make his inner snake happy. It was about the only thing making him happy right now. Maybe, once he felt a bit more confident he would venture out of the garden more but for now he would stay where he was.

(*Not when he was doing magic. That tolerance went out the window when Aziraphale would try and pull a coin from his ear.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AZIRAPHALE IS COMING I PROMISE.


	4. In Which it's Aziraphale's Turn to be Confused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aziraphale contemplates what's been going on in Heaven.

It had not been a good time for Aziraphale. 

First, when he woke up weeks ago it was not in his bed with Crowley but with an angel from his old garrison shaking him and asking if he was ok after getting hit. His sword, the one he had lost so many years ago was in his hand but not aflame. It took him a few seconds to answer and stand up. He was baffled by what was going on and decided it was just safer to go along with what he was being told to do. 

Second, he didn’t trust what was going to come out of his mouth. He had spent centuries trying to avoid his head office, following their orders* just enough to avoid them unless he needed a new body. During that time he had befriended (and fallen in love) with a demon, amassed a book collection and tried almost all the wine and food that humans could make. None of these things existed yet and he was afraid of saying something wrong.

(*Or Crowley doing the orders, one of the two)

Third, he didn’t feel like himself. Oh, his face and hair were fine but the rest of his body, well it was different. Gabriel was right, he was soft. That’s what years of life of Earth got you*, a body that was what you liked and showed how you lived. He missed his plumpness and how it had settled around him, how his fingers used to be stained with ink but perfectly manicured instead of the sword callasous they had instead. He hadn’t seen this body in over 6,000 years and he wasn’t enjoying it. It was a mild annoyance, like when your outfit fits almost right but not quite and you know how to fix it but you can’t at the moment. It left him grumpy when he didn’t have to act like everything was ok, that oh yes he’d love to go swing a sword around instead of curled up somewhere with a copy of “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and a demon snake around his neck.

(*and crepes. And biscuits and wine and dinners at the Ritz and all sorts of other lovely things)

Fourth, the power level was a struggle. Yes, he had started as a Cherub but his power had been bound back, taken away after he had let Crowley tempt Eve. Aziraphale was so used to being a Principality that he wasn’t used to the extra senses of a Cherub anymore. It was too much at times and he was ready to get demoted.

So his life had become routine. He would go to practice with his garrison, go to choir practice and then just wander. It didn’t seem odd that he was doing such a thing, but it was lonely to go on a walk by himself. He was used to Crowley always being beside him now and it was unnerving on some level to not have him here. So instead his days were filled with monotonous tasks that he didn’t really enjoy in a ruse that didn’t really make him happy.

It was nice though when a rumor started that the test garden was opened for the angels to look at. Aziraphale hadn’t gone in the first time; he was too busy training. Now though a stroll through real plant life seemed perfect. If he was lucky, maybe he could find a spot that was isolated, where he could mumble to himself under his breath about everything he didn’t like at the moment.

It was beautiful in the sort of not perfect because it was too perfect way. Everything was green, not a leaf out of place or a petal with a spot. There wasn’t the smell of decomposing plant matter or the marks were animals had been. Everything just seemed perfect.

That’s when he saw the other angel. He was tall, thin and lanky, like he was only made of sharp corners. His back was turned to Aziraphale, showing off his midnight-black wings and long, curly, light red hair. Aziraphale could tell there was something familiar to him and when he got closer he realized something else.

The angel was humming something he knew. A song he had heard over and over since 1976 in a black Bentley with a demon by his side. A song that the demon had told him had played as his bookshop was on fire as his other half cried into his shoulder. One simple song that held a lot of memories.

Breath seemed to leave Aziraphale’s lungs for a moment as he realized who it was in front of him. He stopped for a moment and then took a breath before joining in with what was being hummed.

“They say I'm going crazy,” he kept his voice soft but it was enough to have the other angel whirl around, the panic in his honey-colored eyes replaced with a softness.

“Angel.” It was said as a whisper, an almost unspoken pray laced with hope and faith.

“My dear serpent. It’s so good to see you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY AZIRAPHALE!!! I love both of these idiots, but I relate a lot to Aziraphale so I'm happy he's finally here! Be ready for mush to be coming since they are both back together!
> 
> Thank you for everyone leaving kudos and comments, they make my day.
> 
> Song lyrics from Somebody to Love. By now I'm assuming we all know the band.


	5. In Which the Two are Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two are reunited.

They had moved into a spot that Crowley had made for himself close to his sunning rock, hidden away where other angels wouldn’t go looking. It was perfect in the way that life on Earth was. It was a little too dark and almost too small for the pair of them but that’s what made it wonderful. There were sitting like they would have in the past*; Aziraphale leaning against the trunk of the tree with Crowley sitting against his chest, their fingers intertwined and legs tucked off to the side. The branches bent down in such a way and the leaves were large enough that they weren’t visible to the others in the area. Crowley sighed deeply as he shifted around to get comfortable, getting his head tucked just right underneath Aziraphale’s. There was so much they needed to talk about, so much they wanted to say but after so long away from each other they needed to first just enjoy the presents of the other, knowing their other half was safe and sound. 

(*Meaning Aziraphale sitting on the couch at one end, book in hand with Crowley using him as a pillow in someway, playing on his phone or listening to the angel read aloud)

They ended up falling asleep there and too soon Aziraphale had to leave.

“Crowley. Dear, I have to get up. They’ll start looking for me soon if I’m not there.”  
As normal Crowley was slow to wake up but was happy to do so when Aziraphale tilted to steal his lips in a kiss. That was enough to get the demon’s attention, dragging out a happy sigh before Crowley tried to move down to his angel’s neck.

“None of that now. I don’t have my normal clothes and I’m not explaining to anyone else how I got a hickey there.” Aziraphale batted him away gently but then ran his fingers through his long hair.

“You’d have to explain what a hickey is to them first.” Crowley twisted so he was chest to chest with Aziraphale before kissing him again. “But you have a point. Don’t need any extra questions. I’ve been doing a pretty good job of avoiding the angels that have been around. What about you?”

Aziraphale shook his head, “No, I’ve had to talk to too many of them. Those in the garrison, choir practice, wandering in the hallways. If I didn’t have to leave you now dear I wouldn’t.” He gave his partner another kiss and pressed their foreheads together, letting out a sad sigh, “I don’t want to leave you again so soon.”

“I don’t want you to leave either Angel, but I also don’t want us to get caught. For now we need to stay off the radar. Find me later, ok? I don’t stray from the garden.”

“I will. I’ll miss you my dear.” They stood up, one at a time and moved out of the little hidden room, stealing one last kiss before they started walking side by side out of the little garden.

“Anthony!” Crowley half-shouted, grabbing Aziraphale’s arm as he did so, “My name’s Anthony, well I mean it’s always been that, but you have to call me that, ok Aziraphale?” There was mild panic in his eyes but his angel understood. ‘Crowley’ and ‘Crawly’ didn’t exist yet, there wasn’t a need for those names and it would look odd to start calling him that. It was something that could be pointed out and used against them in the future and that wasn’t a good thing.

“Anthony. For the record I do like it.” Aziraphale gave him a cheeky grin as he thought back* to a church in 1940’s England as they neared the entrance and there were other angels around now, looking at the pair, “Well thank you Anthony for the lovely tour. May your day be pleasant.” Aziraphale wouldn’t let himself say anything past that but Crowley could see the hidden message of “I love you, please be careful” hidden in them.

(*or forward in time? Time travel is tricky)

“May your day be pleasant as well Aziraphale.” The smile he gave Aziraphale was full of the love he knew the demon had for him. As he walked away Aziraphale was the happiest he had been since waking up in the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEY ARE BACK TOGETHER!!! Thank you everyone who left comments on the last chapter, I'm so excited that you were happy they were back together.
> 
> My favorite lines in this chapter was the hickey lines.
> 
> Next week: The two being mushy an forming a plan.


	6. In Which there is a Tentative Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aziraphale and Crowley enjoy being with each other and start to make a plan (no wine is involved)

Now they fell into a pattern as easy as their old one. Once Crowley knew that his angel was here he was more willing to leave. Meeting Aziraphale at the gates of the garden they would go to places in heaven together, exploring all the nooks and crannies they could. They were always close, not quite touching but still close as they walked side-by-side through the open spaces, conversations crafted with double meanings to those around them to hear. The pair didn’t go to choir practice, using the time instead to snog each other senseless in their little hidden cave.

In hushed whispers they talked about their predicament, of how or if they could even get back to their time. They needed a plan but so far they didn’t like the one they had.

“Lucifer’s gang came around again today, asking about things. They seemed to like what I was saying, the questions I had.” Crowley’s voice was soft against Aziraphale’s chest as they curled around each other, “I don’t remember how everything happened the first time but it’s coming soon, I think. A few more days probably. The garden here is almost done, just a few more touches and it’ll be good.” 

Aziraphale was quiet, running his hands through his demon’s long hair, “The troops are all feeling it too. Everyone is on edge.” He placed a kiss to Crowley’s head. “I...I know it has to happen but I don’t want you getting hurt again. Oh, but I know you can’t stay here either, you’re already unhappy and I can’t even imagine what it was like the first time.”

Crowley shifted so he was face to face with his angel and gave him a kiss before speaking, “It...It’ll still hurt this time but well, it won’t be as bad. I know what’s coming better than any of those other arseholes. And well…” his face blushed which just made Aziraphale press another kiss to him before he continued, “I know you won’t be there to catch me but you’ll be there in the garden soon after. That’ll make it better.”

“You just want snake cuddles.” A soft smile graced the angel’s face but there was still sadness in his eyes for the horror he knew his lover would have to face. “Do you remember the cave? It was quite close to where my gate was at, we could meet there.”

“Sounds good Aziraphale. But what about you? You’re still going to give it away, you’re going to get demoted.”

“You have to admit my dear, I’m a better Principality than a Cherub. I don’t mind the demotion at all. We’ll bare everything once we get there.”

“It’s still going to go all pear-shaped. We’ll get there, the two of us, just like always. Our own side.” Crowley kissed him again, sealing away the comment he knew the angel was going to make about how he liked pears before snuggling back down against him and closing his eyes.

“Our own side.” Aziraphale whispered before following Crowley’s actions and falling asleep as well*.

(*with a lack of books Aziraphale was sleeping more than he ever had on Earth. He was ready to have books again.)

They woke a few hours later, sharing more whispers and kisses before parting for the day. Aziraphale could see the tension in Micheal as he passed them in the hall, the other angels in the garrison with swords in their hands and whispers with rumors about the Morningstar on their breath. It was going to start soon and he didn’t think he was ready to lose Crowley again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter: Things happen and we still starting having two different points of view for a bit.
> 
> Thank you everyone who is reading and I'm glad you're enjoying it!


	7. In Which the War Happens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heaven and Hell are created. The pair is split again. (TW for the Rebellion/Fall)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the chapter is a little late, my heater decided to rebel this morning and I had to fix it first.

It had started when they were together. They heard the commotion from their hidden spot and both of their faces paled when they realized the only thing it could be.

“I...Aziraphale I don’t think...I don’t want to leave you…” There was panic on Crowley’s face. The last time Aziraphale had seen it was when the world was ending. In a way though, it was again. It was the end of there being just one group and the start of their being two sides.

“You have to my dear, you have to. We’ll see each other again, you know that we will. I’ll find you or you’ll find me but we always find each other. Our own side, remember?” Aziraphale had grabbed Crowley’s face, brought it close to his as tears were running down both their cheeks. 

Neither was sure which one kissed the other first but it was full of the love they had for each other, of lovers who had seen too much together and didn’t want to be away from each other again. They weren’t sure how much time had passed when they pulled away, or whose tears they were wiping off each other face. 

“Go. I’ll see you in the garden. Be safe, I won’t be there to save you.”

Aziraphale snorts but presses one last kiss to his lips, “Get your head almost chopped off one time and you’re never allowed to forget it. I love you too Crowley*.” 

(*Even after all this time it was hard for the demon to say ‘I love you’ but Aziraphale knew how to read between the lines of what his other half meant.)

Crowley watched him walk off but he didn’t follow. He wanted the last thing he saw as an angel was his angel off to do what he always did*.

(*Which was to get in trouble somehow.)

Eyes closed Crowley walked out of their spot and turned to the sky before yelling at it, asking her why humans had to suffer, had to follow the plan, why they had to make the choices without guidance. 

Too soon the floor seemed to open underneath him and swallowed him, wings unable to keep from tailspinning out of control. He was one bright mark on the sky among many that were staining the sky with their falling. Crowley tried not to scream but he couldn’t help it, and soon his voice was raw from the pain as his wings burned up. He felt his grace twist and morph in his chest, losing the love that She had for him bend into something sharp and darker, a more familiar hardness setting there instead.

Hitting the ground didn’t knock him out like the others* and he felt his body reach to the sulfuric acid, pitting his skin with burns that would become scale spots later on, and he felt all the agony as his body twisted and contorted into a familiar but not form, shrinking and growing, bones breaking and rearranging until he was once again just Crawley, serpent. The first time around he had remembered sitting in the pool for too long, thrashing back and forth before finally figuring out how to escape the crater he landed in. All his years on Earth though had taught him many things. In this case, that there were worse things than having your skin eaten away by acid as your bones reshaped. No, Crowley bit down on his metaphorical lip and did his best to not pass out, staying awake through sheer will and determination.

(*because he was ready for it and it wasn’t the worst thing he had ever gone through. The 14th century and thinking Aziraphale had died in a bookshop fire tied for top place in “Things that happened to Crowley that almost broke him")

It was helpful that he was the first one to move from his spot and hide away from the others, away from the screams and shrieks of all the other Fallen as their bodies changed from ethereal to occult. He could hear the buzzing as Beelzebub took shape, the howling of Dagon as their voice changes from something lovely to the harsh tones he was used to hearing from the radio. There was the guttural howling in the distance from the biggest and deepest crater as their Lord was starting to rise.

Hidden away in the safest spot he could find Crowley let his mind drift, thinking of his angel and how long it would be before he would see him again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aziraphale raced to the armory, ducking and dodging anyone that tried to get him. The training had done him good but he still didn’t like fighting. He remembered the rebellion the first time better than Crowley did. He remembered his sword cutting into celestial flesh, watching those bloody and lacerated falling beneath the heavens by his own blade. It was his cross to bear, not Crowley’s who had by far worse memories of that day.

This time would be different. He had changed too much on Earth. Oh, he would defend himself if needed, Crowley would never let him forget it if he got hurt but he didn’t want to wound the others. Aziraphale understood that the new demons had made their choice but that didn’t change the fact that he had seen what humans did during wars: mustard gas rolling over the trenches but still come together on Christmas day; camps designed to destroy everyone inside but those hidden away by souls knowing what was going on was wrong. No, kindness could still exist, even during a fight.

Sword in hand finally he danced through the others, deflecting and hitting them with the flat of his sword. Once they would on the ground they would fall father, not because of what Aziraphale did but because that was Her will. It seemed to go on forever, the waltz of steel ringing around him before the calling of the trumpets told him to stop.

He looked around and saw his brothers and sisters around him, out of breath, bleeding or dead on the ground. He saw blood staining his arms and dripping down onto his hands and he dropped the sword and fell to the ground, trying to keep his emotions in check. Finally he got up and grabbed his sword and left the battlefield only stopping when a healing angel ran a hand along his arm and fixed it.

He ducked back into the proto garden and into their spot but no, it was now just his spot. Crowley was gone. Aziraphale sunk to the ground and wrapped his wings around himself and finally allowed tears to fall for everything that had been lost and changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters will be split between Crowley and Aziraphale. Don't worry, they will get back together. Thank you all for reading and enjoying!


	8. In Which the Boys are Patient

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aziraphale and Crowley wait to meet up again in a Garden

Hell was horrible. There was a reason that Crowley left as soon as he could. Time had no meaning down here but he knew it was getting closer and closer to Eden. He could taste it in the air, the world around them changing and shaping into the early days of Earth. Crowley was also getting better at moving around the broken landscape and seeing everyone else.

He watched Beelzebub and zir swarm of flies, Dagon close behind as they tried to help get some sort of order to the chaos around them. He saw Hastur and Ligur figuring out their forms but stayed away from them. He hadn’t met with Satan yet but he knew it was coming soon.

For now he would just sit and wait, move about and focus on two things. One, what his form needed to look like when he was up in the Garden and two, what his angel was like. He remembered from the first fall that he lost some of his memories of Heaven. He didn’t want that to happen again. All of the memories he had right now held Aziraphale in them and he didn’t want to lose those. He needed the distraction from the horrors of Hell until he could get out. 

Just a little bit longer, that’s all it was. Just a little bit longer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finally!

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed but Aziraphale was finally given his assignment. Cherub Aziraphale, new Guardian of the Eastern Gate of Eden. Him and the others would be going down in a few days, once the animals and Adam were down there. They let him keep his sword and for the most part he was being left alone. He got his job and now it was a matter of waiting it out. Heaven was quiet now. Everything was different. All the angels were on their guard, not knowing if they should trust one another. There was still the fear of falling after everything that had happened. 

Trust between others was broken. It would take time to heal but it still wouldn’t be the same. 

And the memories! The other angels, they knew that some Fell, but they couldn’t remember who they were or what their tasks were. Aziraphale didn’t realize that the first time around, granted he didn’t really have friends the first time. Now though it was a struggle to remember what Crowley looked like and what his job was in Heaven. Oh, he remembered the rest of their 6000 plus year history but their moments in Heaven? Those were...spotty. Like someone had spilled water on a 200 year old text and ruined the ink. If he thought hard enough he could figure it out but it took too long and made his eyes hurt. Maybe once he was back with Crowley it would be a bit easier but until that time who knew.

For now though he would sit on the edge and look over, watch the Earth from above until it was time for him to go down. He would wait and be patient and be happy once he was back on the planet he cared about with the demon he loved, seeing and enjoying all the delightful things that humans would come to make. 

For now he would hold the heartache close until it could be replaced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, but next weeks will be longer. Thank you all for the kudos and comments you are leaving. DaphneTheAdipose, you're right, they probably should be panicking more. They are kind of at that stage of "fake it til you make it", so it'll probably be a one-shot in the future.


	9. In Which there is a Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A demon and an angel meet in a garden.

It was only a matter of time and that time had come. Lucifer found Crowley hidden under his rock and grabbed him, holding him in his large hand before demanding to know who he was and what he was now.

It was easy for Crowley to answer as ‘Crawly’ say that he was a snake before being thrown down to the ground. It was the highlight of his day when his new Lord told him to ‘go up and make some trouble’ and with a shimmying motion he slithered his way from Hell and up to Earth. 

When his head pierced the surface Crowley felt like he could cry. He had missed the clear air and slight breeze, the scent of sand in the air. The sun was just setting and the sky a beautiful twilight, making the giant wall look almost terrified from his spot. What he was most excited about though was the figure at the top of the wall.

It wasn’t any mistake that he had made sure to come up at the Eastern Gate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the end of his second day of “apple tree duty” and Aziraphale was starting to get bored. The first time he had done this there was so much to see, from all of the animals to whatever Adam and Eve were up to. Now though he knew all the animals* and fruits growing and the rule was look but don’t touch. He couldn’t take the tasty looking pears off the branches or sneak a perfect looking peach off a tree either. As an angel he was supposed to be above those things**.

(* it was good to see the unicorns and other animals that had become extinct over the ages, but even then one can only look at animals for so long.)

(** He wasn’t, he missed all of the tasty things he could eat.)

No, he needed to stand and watch and guard. It was nice though to have his wings out, to feel the gentle wind ruffle the feathers. That was one thing he missed in later centuries but he had gained so much more as the years passed. 

The weather was perfect, which was a nice change from England. No matter how much he loved his adopted county it was damp and dreary more often than not.

As the sun was starting to set behind him he looked out over the desert, staring at never-ending sea of sand when he noticed something moving. It was close to the bottom of the gate and all he could do was shake his head in fondness as he watched something long, black and familiar emerge from the ground and start toward the gate.

Aziraphale sighed to himself before turning around and looking back over the garden. It wouldn’t be a lie if he said he didn’t see the serpent enter the garden because he hadn’t. One moment it was outside and when he looked back it was gone. He would honestly be able to say he had no idea how the snake got into the place because he didn’t know, he hadn’t seen it.

The sun set and the sky filled with stars, reminding Aziraphale of nights that they had stayed up and watched the pin pricks of light, Crowley explaining every single one and all the information that humans had found out about them as they held hands on their picnic blanket. As the darkness faded into dawn Aziraphale took a deep breath before leaving the wall and heading into the garden. He had a demon to find.

It wasn’t hard to find Crowley. After so many centuries together the pair had made finding each other an art. Aziraphale strolled through the garden, sword in hand as he looked around for his partner. It didn’t take long to find a big, black serpent sunning itself on the first rays from the Earth’s closest star. The angel smiled fondly as he placed a hand on its head and traced his fingers down the scales.

The snake let out a happy little hiss before changing itself into a smaller species and twisting it’s way up the angel’s arm, settling onto his shoulders before flicking the angel with his tongue.

“Hi Azzziraphale.” It’s voice sounded distorted but there was the underlying accent they both had adopted over the years as their own.

“Hello dear. It’s good to see you.” Aziraphale moved his non-sword hand up to pet Crowley, humming to himself as Crowley leaned into his hand. “It’s been a bit lonely without you. You know, I don’t remember it being quite like this the first time. Granted everything was new for me too the first time. So far I think the thing I miss the most is being able to eat. So many fresh fruits and I can’t take any right now!” Aziraphale let out a huff which made Crowley hiss as they walked through the garden, staying to the Eastern half. “There are pears dear, pears! And peaches and plums and…”

“Applessss?” Crowley gave a snakey laugh that Aziraphale glared at him for.

“You’re not as funny as you think you are. But yes, apples too. They are so delicious as pie. Or a crisp. Oh, or do you remember those baked ones we had in 1608? They were so wonderful in the cold.” They continued walking for awhile before Aziraphale stopped and let Crowley climb off his arm, slinking down onto a rock that would be getting sun most of the day.

“I need to get back on guard duty. I’ll see you tonight?” Crowley nodded his head, already sleepy from curling up on the rock before Aziraphale took off to stand back up on the wall. This would be the only time they would meet during the day, it would be took dangerous if they stuck together all the time. They still had their jobs to do; Eve needed to be tempted and a sword needed to be given away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are getting close to the end of this part of the story. Thank you for all the kudos and comments!
> 
> A note for the future: Crowley will be 'Crowley' when Aziraphale is talking to him or when he has dialogue. Everyone else will be calling him "Crawly" when addressing him because that's what cannon is up until Jesus. *jazz hands* Time travel!


	10. In Which Things Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for an apple to be eaten and for some things to come to light.

The pair fell into a pattern. During the day they, for the most part, did the jobs they were supposed to be doing. Aziraphale would spend time between standing on the top of the wall and walking a safe distance from Adam and Eve if they happened to be in his area of Eden. Crowley spent his time sunning, slithering along, collecting fruit carefully to hide away in a cave beside the Eastern Gate and getting closer and closer to Eve.

The demon had forgotten how much he had liked the woman he was supposed to be tempting. She was kind to him; not scared of him like some of the animals were and talking to him about things they had seen around the garden. She didn’t know he could talk but that was ok, it meant that no one had to leave the garden yet.

Nights were different. Aziraphale would wait until the sun had set and the humans were asleep before leaving the wall and walking to the cave close to his gate. Inside he would find Crowley already inside snoozing with a small pile of fruit beside him. It was sweet that his demon was still treating him, as if the gathered fruit was just as common for them as getting into the Bentley and going to the Ritz.

Aziraphale would sit down on the floor of the cave and wake Crowley up, letting the snake coil around him in a comforting weight. It was still risky for Crowley to transform, they didn’t know if Heaven would be able to sense the demon in his human form or not. The two would visit about their day as Aziraphale ate the fruit Crowley had rolled into the cave for him. Pears, plums, peaches, sometimes grapes but never any apples. The demon watching the angel eat, that was something that hadn’t changed. After the fruit was gone they would fall asleep for a few hours before parting ways just before the sun rose. Good mornings and good byes were passed between them before Aziraphale would untangle himself from his very clingy husband and head out to stand guard on the gate.

Time still really wasn’t a concept and so the immortal pair weren’t sure how much time had passed. They had settled down for the night when Crowley whispered, “She’sss getting too curioussss. It’ll be tomorrow angel. Jusssst...be ready.” The snake leaned into the hand that had started petting him, letting some of the tension leave his form.

“We knew this day was coming. And honestly? It is time to leave the garden. Humanity needs to grow and they can’t do that here. We know it all works out, a few bumps along the way but they get there.”

“Clever, clever humansss.”

“Quite right my dear, quite. Now hush and we’ll get a few hours of sleep before apple tree duty is over with.”

The serpent settled in around the angel and soon the two were asleep.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was the bookshop as it was after the Apocalowasn’t and Aziraphale was settled in his favorite chair with a book and a mug of cooling coco beside him. Crowley was sprawled out on the sofa, playing with his phone. They were dressed casually, Crowley in an old band shirt and black jeans and Aziraphale with his shirt sleeves pushed up. It was nice, calm and quiet which was broken when the bell above the door rang out.

“We’re closed!” Aziraphale shouted out but he could hear the footsteps coming closer to them, Crowley sitting up and putting his phone away as he sat his books down.

“I’m not staying long, I just need to talk to you.” the voice was familiar, like someone that you always talked to on the phone but hadn’t seen in person in a long, long time. An older female possibly but he still wasn’t sure.

Aziraphale stood up and walked toward the voice, Crowley following behind him. When the two reached the figure they couldn’t figure out what she looked like. It was almost as if she couldn’t settle on a form, height not changing but facial features unsettled.

“I can’t stay long. I know you want answers to what happened to you, but I don’t have them. While I do play games with the universe, this one wasn’t of my doing. I can give you a...bonus though. Think of it when you complete a game the first time and decide to play again. They sometimes give out a reward to make it something different the next time.”

She didn’t give them the chance to break away from her as she grabbed their hands. For a moment they burnt and Aziraphale gave as gasp of pain as Crowley hissed. When she let go they could see a pattern twisting along their arms. It was the same pattern on Crowley’s right and Aziraphale’s left; a shimmery black and red snake tangled along the pale pink blooms of an apple tree branch. There seemed to be words carved into the branches but it was so small they were unable to read what it said.

“This is the most I can give you. Others won’t be able to see it and it will keep you hidden from your offices when you’re together, confuse the records if they are looking for miracles, temptings and such. You waited so long to be together. The most I can do is take away your fear of being caught.” Her voice sounded kind and in that moment Aziraphale realized who she was.

“Thank you Lord for your gift. We’ll do our best.”

Crowley didn’t seem to be able to answer, instead just nodding his head with his eyes wide.

“You to always do. Or at least you try. You’re on your own side, humanity’s side. Do what’s right for them.” And then she was gone, the bookshop empty again.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aziraphale woke with a start, gasping for breath and looking around before placing a hand on Crowley who was starting to wake up from the angel’s panicked movement. It took a few moments before he calmed down and slowly pushed his left sleeve up to reveal a tattoo that took up his whole arm.

“Crowley, dear, please wake up.” it was whispered like it was a prayer but Crowley seemed to have listened and woke up fully, flicking his tongue along the tattoo.

“Ssso it wasssn’t just a dream then.” He looped around Aziraphale’s arm before making his way to the floor, “We can talk about it later. It’sss time Angel.”

Letting his sleeve fall down Aziraphale picked up his sword and followed Crowley to the edge of the cave. He sighed deeply before giving the garden one last mournful look. It was the last morning in paradise.

The two didn’t say anything else to each other as they went their separate ways. It was around noon when Aziraphale felt something change and he knew that Crowley’s job was done. He left the wall and found Adam and Eve, quickly handing off his sword and helped them leave before resealing the wall and returning to the top.

Clouds were starting to form as he heard the familiar sound of a snake slithering up before it changed to the sound of rustling feathers.

“Well, that went down like a lead balloon.” Aziraphale turned his head and looked over at Crowley, taking in the sight of his companion finally back in his human form. He seemed more put together than last time they had stood on the wall. His black robes were perfect this time, not a thread out of place and his hair seemed to understand how to stay perfect in the slight breeze.

“There was no other way for it to go. It was…”

“Now is not the time to say ‘ineffable’ Angel.”

“Well it was my dear. Now come over here, I’ve missed being with you.” Crowley smiled as he scooted closer to Aziraphale, lacing their fingers together once he was beside him. 

“You know you’ve had me every night.” the demon was cheeky when he said it and Aziraphale rolled his eyes at his partner’s comment.

“And yet I’ve missed the little things. Like holding your hand and looking you in the eyes and being able to press my lips upon you.” He added to his point by taking Crowley’s hand and pressing a quick kiss to his knuckles before looking him in the eye. “I’ve missed the you I’ve seen for 6,000 years my love.”

Crowley didn’t have a change to answer as a white wing came up to shelter him from the rain that was just starting to fall. They stood there, watching Adam and Eve get farther and farther away as they saw what was the start of the Earth they fell in love with.

Some time later, when the rain had stopped and Crowley had slithered off to hide for a bit while Aziraphale stepped down to the outside of the wall, waiting to see what would happen.

It didn’t take long for a bright beam of light to hit him, making him wince and bring a hand up to shield his eyes before bringing it back down.

"Aziraphale, where is your flaming sword?"

“I had it here only a moment ago, I must have put it down somewhere, forget my own head next.” He stammered, waving his hand slightly as he spoke. It was just like last time, She didn’t say anything else, just left him there staring up at the sky. With a small sigh he expanded his wings and lifted himself up, heading back to guard duty for just a bit longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter left! Thank you everyone who has been reading and enjoying this story.


	11. It Which It's Time to Leave the Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An angel and a demon talk about their future.

Once it was nightfall they returned to their cave with a pile of fruit, feeding each other small pieces as they sat, Crowley leaning against Aziraphale’s chest.

“You know, last time we just mucked about here for a day or two before leaving the garden. What’s the plan this time?” Crowley tilted his head so he was looking up at Aziraphale who had a look of concentration on his.

“I’m not sure. Last time I went up to Heaven for a bit before coming back down. Had to be demoted to start with, then worked in records for a while before coming back down and staying.” Aziraphale sighed, “It may be a good idea this time around for me to pop into Heaven more often, keep in the circle better. If I remember correctly, there were a few of the younger angels that had smaller jobs that liked the Earth an awful lot. Might be good to have allies this next time. If I’m in the library I could probably make friends with the other scribes and record keepers as well.”

Crowley looked up at him with a sly look in his eye. “In the loop, that’s probably a good idea. You can look in and see what they know about us. Last time I stayed above ground, watched Eve and all of them. Probably for the best that I stick to what I did the first time, but checking in a bit more. Won’t be taken by surprise. Allies, brilliant as well. I can probably get some from the more...defined tempts. Succubi and such. The office workers liked me a bit, was good about bringing the projectors back and not mucking up their jobs.”

Then it was quiet as they just sat there, enjoying each others company before Aziraphale pressed a kiss to Crowley’s head and shifted to pull up the demon’s right sleeve, revealing his matching tattoo.

“I know She didn’t say anything else to us today dear but it seems like She’s giving us the chance to be more than just Heaven and Hell this time. Humanity’s side from the beginning. We have a lot of history that we can help with.”

“You know we can’t change everything Angel.”

“I know love, but wouldn’t it be nice to save a few more people, a few more pieces of art and books from being destroyed? We...we can’t go fully against Her will but she did say do what’s right for them.”

“I think we can manage that.” Crowley smirked as he picked up the last fruit he had collected, a bright red apple from the tree. “Tempt you with dessert?” 

Aziraphale shook his head with a fond smile before taking the apple from his serpent’s hand. “Temptation accomplished.” He bite down, letting the juice drip down his chin before handing the orb back to Crowley. The demon took a bite as well before handing it back and the two followed this pattern until it was gone. They weren’t worried about the consequences about good and evil; they had learned that the world was in shades of grey; some closer to white and some closer to black but it was never just one color or the other.

Soon they would leave the garden. Soon they would walk the Earth and look after the humans. But for now, in this moment they had each other and that’s all they needed. No matter what was going to happen, and they did have a good idea of what was going to happen, they would face it together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who has read this story and enjoyed it. I know I've said that for about every chapter now but reading the comments and seeing the kudos, hits and bookmarks had made me so happy. This is the first big work I have every finished, and I have more things planned out.
> 
> I have two one-shots; one will be posted next week, the one the week after.
> 
> Part two will be based around the episode three cold open. (I teach and state testing is coming up soon, I don't know when this will be typed out/started posting)
> 
> Part three will be the 11 years up to the End Times.
> 
> Part four will be what happens after.
> 
> There will probably be more one-shots in between.
> 
> Yet again thank you everyone for reading this.
> 
> <3 Miss. Amby

**Author's Note:**

> I love time travel stories so much and the fandom is lacking in them. This story comes out of this love. As always, Good Omens was created by Neil Gaiman and Sir Terry Pratchett


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